Atlanta Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez says there is no place for the career-threatening hit Houston Texans rookie safety D.J. Swearinger delivered in Saturday night's preseason game that shredded Miami Dolphins tight end Dustin Keller's knee.

And Gonzalez said he is further incensed with the notion that recent rules changes -- outlawing hits to the head area -- have forced defenders to target the knees when tackling. When asked about the controversial play, Gonzalez didn't hold back.

"That was ridiculous on his part. It should be a fineable offense. That's just not part of football -- hitting a defenseless player in his knee, that's something we all dread as players. That's my nightmare,'' Gonzalez told USA TODAY Sports. "Hit me in my head (instead).

"Any player who does that, I don't like it at all. I have no respect for that."

He added: "Dustin Keller is a friend of mine and you just ruined a guy's career because you went low and at his knee like that. You never go at a guy's knee. Never.''

Keller, the former New York Jets tight end who signed a one-year, $4.25 million deal this offseason, tore the anterior cruciate, medial collateral and posterior cruciate ligaments in his right knee and also dislocated the knee. Keller caught a pass with his back to Swearinger, and just as Keller turned upfield, Swearinger took him out at the knee caps.

"With the rules in this era, you've got to hit low,'' Swearinger said afterward. "If I would have hit him high, I would have gotten a fine. So I think I made the smartest play. I'm sorry it happened. Right now, it's just instinct. You see somebody come across the middle, you've got to go low. You're going to cost your team 15 yards. You've got to play within the rules.''

There was no penalty on the play and the NFL hasn't levied a fine.

But Gonzalez, who abruptly ended his brief retirement in March to return to the Atlanta Falcons for a 17th season, doesn't believe the knee-crumpling hit should be given a pass as an unintended consequence of rules protecting players' heads.

"I saw his (Swearinger's) remark, 'That's just football,' and he showed a little bit of grief for the guy – I'm not buying it at all,'' Gonzalez said. "Don't tell me that the rules prohibit you from hitting a guy up top. You have a whole target area above his knee up to his neck that you can hit. I've watched that play a bunch of times.

"I'd rather have a guy hit me head than knife at my knee. You're talking about a career-ending injury. It's going to be so hard for Dustin to come back off of that. It should be a fineable offense, just like going for the head is.

"If a guy is not looking and you go and knife at his knee like that – especially in a preseason game as well. It was upsetting,'' Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez hopes the hit proves to be a teaching moment for defenders and officials going forward.

"I just don't want defenders to be able to hide behind, 'Well, I can't hit high. I have to go low.' No, you don't,'' Gonzalez said. "That's not what the rule is saying at all. It's not saying to go low.

"I keep seeing the debate (on TV) and all these people saying, 'They're forcing defenders to go low.' No, they're not. That play was ridiculous. All you have to do is hit him right in his waist and knock him back."

I will be very surprised if Keller plays another down in the NFL. In today's environment of RG3's and Adrian Peterson's, it's easy to think "Oh, he blew out his knee, no big deal. He'll be out this season, but come back strong next year", but the fact of the matter is that something like 1/3 players who tear an ACL never play again. It's a very serious injury to an already season veteran. I'm rooting for the guy, but I'm not going to hold my breath

I agree with Tony on this. Yes, I know the NFL is making it hard and shrinking the target that you can hit and tackle. That said, Swearinger could have easily came up and drove thru Keller at his mid section or even around the shoulders.

I dont know. Bang , bang play , heat of the moment , no reaction time ... I just dont think there was intent to injure.Gonzalez has always been a classy guy , says & does the right things & I applaud him on this even if I differ from his opinion. Him being all that its amazing he is not a dolphin.

_________________2015. Jets & Bills new regimes & no QB. Pats , nowhere to go but down. We come back with best young QB in the game plus we keep the best regime intact. Making of dynasty.

Thu Aug 22, 2013 9:05 pm

1984phins

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Re: USA Today: "Tony Gonzalez Livid over Hit on Keller"

Heat of the moment means nothing to me. He already said he made a conscious effort to avoid the head. He knew where he was hitting. Im sure he didn't mean to injure, but he can't claim he had no idea where he was hitting.

Still , if this happened to Keller a year ago it would be a non issue here.

I really don't know why you would come out with this point. This is the here and now, and Dustin is a Dolphin. He darn near got his knee destroyed.

There are plenty people that are not Dolphin fans that thought the hit was dirty. The hit was legal according to the NFL, but the players that play the game know hits like the one delivered by Swearinger ends careers.

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Thu Aug 22, 2013 10:09 pm

swerve13

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Re: USA Today: "Tony Gonzalez Livid over Hit on Keller"

FINesse wrote:

Still , if this happened to Keller a year ago it would be a non issue here.

Look , we are all entitled to our opinions & that is just mine. I know this is a Dolphin site which is why I dont like when there is a thread about how Sanchez got intercepted in practice. But those of us who have been here pretty much from the beginning know how this goes. The Dolphin player is innocent until proven guilty while others are convicted immediately.

Yeah the hit was gruesome , I wish it did not result in that way but it happens. This is the NFL & speed of plays with hardly anytime to think a hit through dictates the circumstance. This is not Charles Martin slamming Jim McMahon.

And we do care about players on other teams .... mostly when they have had a fall from grace.

In 2008 there was a thread on here that Bernard Pollard should be our MVP. It had about 50 giggly posts. Enough said.

_________________2015. Jets & Bills new regimes & no QB. Pats , nowhere to go but down. We come back with best young QB in the game plus we keep the best regime intact. Making of dynasty.

Fri Aug 23, 2013 6:24 am

phinsfansc

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Re: USA Today: "Tony Gonzalez Livid over Hit on Keller"

FINesse wrote:

Look , we are all entitled to our opinions & that is just mine. I know this is a Dolphin site which is why I dont like when there is a thread about how Sanchez got intercepted in practice. But those of us who have been here pretty much from the beginning know how this goes. The Dolphin player is innocent until proven guilty while others are convicted immediately.

Yeah the hit was gruesome , I wish it did not result in that way but it happens. This is the NFL & speed of plays with hardly anytime to think a hit through dictates the circumstance. This is not Charles Martin slamming Jim McMahon.

And we do care about players on other teams .... mostly when they have had a fall from grace.

In 2008 there was a thread on here that Bernard Pollard should be our MVP. It had about 50 giggly posts. Enough said.

I could really care less about what was posted back when Tom Brady got hurt and trying to justify comments made because of what happen to Brady.

I hate to see any guy get hurt, much less a guy that plays for my Dolphins. This situation with where to hit a guy needs to be addressed. Still think Swearinger had a chance to make a tackle without having to go low.

Can't speak for folks that were happy to see Brady get hurt. I want to be New England with Tom at the helm. And as I said earlier in this reply, I hate to see any of these guys get hurt, especially in the manner that Keller got hurt. Football is a brutal game, but it is a brotherhood also. Swearinger will find that out.

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Fri Aug 23, 2013 4:37 pm

Dphins4me

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Re: USA Today: "Tony Gonzalez Livid over Hit on Keller"

rodneyfaile wrote:

I don't know when taking a knee out wasn't a cheap play. What happened to real tackeling?

Real tackling does not make the highlight reel. That is what it is all about.

Fri Aug 23, 2013 4:55 pm

k-dash

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Re: USA Today: "Tony Gonzalez Livid over Hit on Keller"

phinsfansc wrote:

Can't speak for folks that were happy to see Brady get hurt. I want to be New England with Tom at the helm. And as I said earlier in this reply, I hate to see any of these guys get hurt, especially in the manner that Keller got hurt.

For me, #1. I actually respected and liked Keller as a player when he was a Jet, which is rare. #2. I don't take pleasure from this kind of injury on anyone regardless of the team. If Brady were to suffer a season-ending elbow injury that was not career-threatening, I might succumb to the "Oh gee, that's just too bad *wink, wiink" mentality but this is not that. #3. I agree completely about beating NE with Brady at the helm. Anything less will carry a glaring asterisk. Best case scenario is us winning the division and the rest of the division beating shut out from the playoffs, which btw is what the ESPN Magazine predicted.

I am not actually there yet, but a strong start to the season would be very encouraging.